On 10 August 1912, aviator Frank McClean piloted his Short-Farman hydroplane between the road and Walkways of Tower Bridge. Not satisfied with his first exploit, he continued upstream, dipping under every remaining bridge as far up the Thames as Westminster. 

On the return trip, a sidewind hooked McClean into the water as he was attempting to fly under the Bridge. Fortunately, though, he was unhurt, and his beloved seaplane was towed to shore for repair. 

Tower Bridge's Glass Floors were installed between November and December 2014. They measure 11.5m long and 1.8m wide, and comprise six different layers. Each of these layers weigh a whopping 530kg and are 70mm thick.

The Glass Floors are in fact so strong that they could hold the weight of six elephants or 12 London taxi cabs! It took six weeks and a team of 20 to put each one of them in place.

The top layer of the Glass Floors is dubbed 'the sacrificial layer'. This is regularly replaced to ensure visitors get the best views, 42m above the Thames and 33.5m above road level.

Tower Bridge's bascules were designed to open to ensure that vessels could access the Pool of London, the busiest port in the world during the Victorian era. In 1894, the Bridge's first year of operation, there were 6,194 Bridge Lifts. An average of 17 times per day!

The bascules were operated by hydraulics, then using steam to power the pumping engines. Since 1976, however, these bascules have been driven by oil and electricity rather than steam.

The Bridge still opens for ships to pass, now around 800 times a year. Some of these ships are quite impressive, like JS Kashima and Götheborg of Sweden. Visitors can watch our mighty bascules in action through the Glass Floors, a truly remarkable experience.

The First Bridge Master and Assistant Bridge Master were Lt Bertie Cator RN and Capt Richard Roberts. Their department was responsible for road and river traffic management, and they lived in the abutments, which are the two smaller towers at each end of the Bridge. 

In 1917, the two departments were merged by John Gass, who continued to serve as Superintending Engineer and Bridge Master until his retirement in 1930. He was succeeded by Lt John Buchanan RN, and next came Leslie Harold Priestly, the Bridge Master during the 1952 bus jump incident.  

The role of the Bridge Master gave space to the Director of Tower Bridge in 2014. The job of the Director of Tower Bridge not only includes the responsibilities of the Bridge Master, but also the management of the visitor attraction and venue hire.

Tower Bridge represents London in such a way that is no wonder why it regularly features on screen.

From silent films like 'Gorgo' (1961) to Hollywood blockbusters such as 2019's 'Spider Man: Far from Home', the Bridge has graced the silver screen from the beginning. The landmark also appeared in classic sitcoms such as 'Friends' and 'Dr Who', music videos like One Direction's 'Midnight Memories' and a number of games, including 'Watch Dogs Legion' (2020).

Looking at the Bridge, it is easy to understand why directors love it so much, and why it became such a London staple.